Various

“ Stone coffin lids, with and without effigies, are very frequently found placed under low arches hollowed in the wall in the interior of the church: tombs placed in the exterior of the wall are much less common; and the singularity of their position, leads one to look for some peculiar reason for it. Tradition often accounts for it by such stories as those mentioned by MR. COOPER. Such is the case with a handsome canopied tomb (I think with an effigy) on the south side of the choir of the cathedral of Lichfield, where we are told that the person interred died under censure of the church. ”

“ Now that excellent authority, L'Art de Vérifier les Dates, gives the date of 988 for the conquest of the Chersonese by Vladimir and his marriage with the emperor's sister, and that of 978 for the birth of Iaroslaf, who must, therefore, be a son of one of the many concubines mentioned in that work as preceding his wife Anne.
Can the rare honour of descent from the Eastern emperors be substantiated by the correspondents who appear to take interest in the pedigree of this house? ”

“ Genealogy of the Talbots.—In some of the printed genealogies of the Talbots, to whose ancestry you have lately made several references, descent is claimed for that noble family from the emperors of the East, through Anne, wife of Henry I., King of France, and daughter of Iaroslaf, or Georges, King of Russia, whose father, the great Vladimir, married Anne, sister of Basilius, Emperor of Byzantium. ”

“ From Grimbaldus, downwards, it does not appear that these beechen men ever signalized themselves by deeds of arms, the favourite boast of heralds and genealogists. Nor indeed could we expect them to have "hearts of oak." But several have rendered the name illustrious by their contributions to literature, science, and the fine arts. Its appropriateness, therefore, must be apology for the motto; which, like most others, is by no means too modest and unassuming. ”

“ In the very ample and particular account there given of the pedigree of the Premier Baronet, it will be seen that the first man who assumed the surname of Bacon, was one William (temp. Rich. I.) , a great grandson of the Grimbaldus, who came over with the Conqueror and settled in Norfolk. ”

“ P.S. The pedigree of the Norfolk Bacons is one of the most perfect in the Herald's College. Any of your readers fond of genealogy might find himself repaid in seeking further information regarding the particular coat of arms above referred to, and might throw still more light on the subject.
In Vol. ii., p. 247., your correspondent, NOCAB, quotes (without reference) the remark en passant of a previous correspondent "that the word bacon had the obsolete signification of 'dried wood.'" I have searched in vain for this allusion in your preceding Numbers. ”

“ The church contains several antique tombs, together with curious monumental brasses, nearly all, I believe I may say all, to the memory of the Cotton family; amongst whom, judging from the inscriptions, were crusaders and knights of mighty emprize, and other worthies. There is only one grave and gravestone in the churchyard, and that is to an old domestic servant of the said Cotton family.
Can any of your readers or antiquaries give any information touching the church, the ancient tombs and effigies, the Cotton family, the grange, &c. ”

“ Dublin.
"Annoy" used as a Noun (Vol. ii., p. 139.) .—Your correspondent CH. will find three good instances of the use of the word annoy as a noun (in addition to the lines cited by him from Wordsworth) by Queen Elizabeth, George Gascoigne, and Mr. Keble:
"The doubt of future woes exiles my present joy,
And wit me warns to shun such snares as threaten mine annoy." ”

“ It is for this reason that he inserts the condition, "when the person it respects is present." We may abuse, revile, vituperate an absent person; but we can only "blackguard" a man when he is present. The word "blackguard" is not recognised by Johnson. Richardson inserts it as a noun, but not as a verb.
L.
Wat the Hare (Vol. ii., p. 315.) .—Your correspondent K. asks what other instances there are of Wat as the name of a hare? I know of one. On the market-house at Watton the spandrils of an Elizabethan doorway have been placed, taken from some old building in the town. ”

“ I have been disposed to think that the most {38} probable motive which may have led to tombs and effigies, sometimes of an elaborate and costly character, being placed in such exposed positions, was the desire of obtaining the prayers of the passers-by for the soul of the deceased. It is worth notice, that the usage seems in England to have been very much limited to the 13th, or early part of the 14th century. I should, however, be very glad if any one who may possess information bearing on the subject would communicate it. ”

“ We regret to announce the death of one of our earliest and most valued contributors, Professor T.S. Davies of Woolwich. "Probably few men in England," says the Athenæum, "were better versed in the methods of the old geometers, or possessed a more critical appreciation of their relative merits." His death is a great loss to geometrical science, as well as to a large circle of friends.
We have received the following Catalogues:—Stacey and Co. (19. Southampton Street, Strand) Catalogue of Books chiefly relating to History, Commerce, and Legislation ”

“ Bridewater, Somerset.—Two arches, with foliations, over effigies between them, a door leading, down to a crypt. The effigies are too much decayed to enable a decided opinion to be formed as to sex or station. ”

“ Never yet branded with suspicion."—Henry VIII., III. 1.
"A great patience," in Henry VIII., may be paralleled by "a brave patience," in The Two Noble Kinsmen: and the expression "aim at," occurring at the close of the verse (as, by the bye, almost all Fletcher's peculiarities do) as seen in Act III. 1.,
"Madam, you wander from the good we aim at,"
is so frequently to be met with in Fletcher, that, having noted four instances in the Pilgrim, three in the Custom of the Country, and four in the Elder Brother, I thought I had found more than enough. ”

“ To which the dancer replies:
"Mother learn'd me to dance, me to dance, me to dance,
Mother learn'd me to dance, Bab in the Bowster brawly."
He or she then lays down the pillow before one of the opposite sex, when they both kneel on it and kiss; the person to whom the pillow has been presented going over the above again, &c, till the company tires.
I may add that the above is a favourite dance here, particularly among young people, and at children's parties in particular it is never omitted. If your correspondent wishes the air to which it is danced, I shall be glad to send it to him. ”

“ So far from it, indeed, that the she-wolf has had and reared a litter of pups by one of the dogs, and does duty in hunting as well as any dog of the pack. Buffon states that he had found that an experiment continued for a considerable time, to bring about the like result between the like animals, never showed the least appearance of success. ”

“ He insinuates that Chronomastix, under whom he intended to represent Wither, employed one of these presses. Thus, upon the entrance of the Mutes,—
"Fame. What are this pair?
Eyes. The ragged rascals?
Fame. Yes.
Eyes. These rogues; you'd think them rogues,
But they are friends;
One is his printer in disguise, and keeps
His press in a hollow tree."
From this extract it should seem that Wither not only composed the poem at case (the printer's phrase) , but worked it off at press with his own hands.
J.M.G.
Worcester.
"Preached as a dying Man to dying Men" (Vol. i., p. 415.; Vol. ii., p. 28.) ”

“ By this arrangement our Monthly Parts will be of the uniform price of One shilling and Three pence, with the exception of those for January and July, which will include the Index of the preceding half-year at the price of One shilling and Ninepence each. Thus the yearly subscription to NOTES AND QUERIES, either in unstamped Weekly Numbers or Monthly Parts, will be SIXTEEN SHILLINGS. The subscription for the Stamped Edition, with which Gentlemen may be supplied regularly by giving their Orders direct to the Publisher, MR. GEORGE BELL, 186. ”

“ Lord Byron, in his notes to the third canto of Don Juan, says that this was adopted from the following passage in Dante's Purgatory, canto viii.:
—— "si ode squilla di lontano
Che paja 'l giorno pianger che si muore."
And it is worthy of notice that this passage corresponds with the first line of Giannini's translation of the Elegy, as quoted by J.F.M.:—
"Piange la squilla 'l giorno, che si muore." ”

“ The Tomb of Geoffrey Chaucer in Westminster Abbey is fast mouldering into irretrievable decay. A sum of One Hundred Pounds will effect a perfect repair. The Committee have not thought it right to fix any limit to the subscription ”

“ Olaf, King of Norway, and of her subsequent marriage to Iaroslaf, or Jarislief, King of Russia.
Can you say where the best pedigree of the early kings of Sweden is to be found?
E.H.Y.
Robertson of Muirtown (Vol. ii., p. 253.) .—In thanking A.R.X. for his reference to a pedigree of Robertson of Muirtown, I should be glad if he can explain to me the connection with that branch of George Robertson, of St. Anne's, Soho, who lived in the middle of the last century, and married Elizabeth Love, of Ormsby, co. Norfolk. He was uncle, I believe, to Mr. ”

“ This was rightly traced (Vol. ii., p. 28.) to a couplet of the celebrated Richard Baxter, who, in one of his latest works, speaking of his ministerial exercises, says,—
"I preach'd as never sure to preach again,
And as a dying man to dying men."
The passage occurs in one of his "Poetical Fragments," entitled "Love breathing Thanks and Praise."
This small volume of devotional verse is further entitled, Heart Imployment with GOD and Itself; the concordant Discord of a Broken-healed Heart; Sorrowing, Rejoicing, Fearing, Hoping, Dying, Living: published for the Use of the Afflicted. ”

“ Another writer (p. 331.) suggested that the term was applied to country houses when deserted or unoccupied; or to rocks, as one near Bakewell, where the semblance of a ham might attract a wayfarer from the high road, only to deceive his expectations of relief.
J.G.N.
Cardinal Chalmers (Vol. ii., p. 493.) .—The insignia mentioned by your correspondent S.P., in No. 60, are very common among Roman Catholic ecclesiastics on the Continent, and are frequently to be seen on tombs. ”

“ Fleet Street (accompanied by a Post Office Order) , is One pound and Fourpence for a twelve-month, or Ten shillings and Two pence for six months.
REPLIED RECEIVED.—It has been suggested to us that we should here acknowledge all communications received by us. We would willingly do so, but that, from their number, such acknowledgment would necessarily occupy far more space than our readers would like to see so employed. But we propose in future to notice all replies that have reached us ”

“ On this account it is not included in the works of Bishop Taylor, lately printed at the Oxford University Press." I do not possess the Oxford edition here mentioned, so cannot test the accuracy of the assertion in the last sentence but if the first part of the above extract be correct, it is, to say the least, singular that Mr. Bohn, in his recent edition of the work, should be entirely silent on the subject. I should like to know who and what is this "Spanish friar?" has he not "a local habitation and a name?" ”

“ Which on the living yet work miracles,
Spreading a relic wealth richer than golden mines.
"J.M. 1627."
Attached to it, it will be seen, are the initials J.M. and the date 1627. Is it possible that this may be an early and neglected sonnet of Milton? and yet, could Milton have seriously perpetrated the pun in the second line?
C. HOWARD KENYON.
BURYING IN CHURCH WALLS. (Vol. ii., p. 513.)
MR. W. DURRANT COOPER has mentioned some instances of burials in the walls of churches; it is not however clear whether in these the monument, or coffin lid, is in the inside or the outside of the wall. ”

“ REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES.
Cockade (Vol. iii., p.7.) .—The black cockade worn by the officers of the army and navy is the relic of a custom which probably dated from the Hanoverian succession; the black cockade being the Hanoverian badge, the white that of the Stuart. In Waverley, when the hero for the first time meets the Baron Bradwardine, he is accosted by the latter thus:—
"And so ye have mounted the cockade? ”

“ Disraeli's work, entitled Commentaries on the Life and Reign of Charles the First, has been pronounced by one of the great critical authorities of our own days, "the most important work" on the subject that modern times have produced. Those who differ from Mr. ”

“ Collar of Esses (Vol. ii., p. 393.) .—With reference to the suggestion in No. 54., to give examples of effigies bearing the collar, I beg to mention those at Northleigh Church, Oxon. The following extract is from the Guide to Neighbourhood of Oxford:—
"In Northleigh church, beneath an arch between the chancel and a chapel, is a fine perpendicular tomb, with two recumbent figures in alabaster,—a knight in armour, with the Collar of SS ”

“ Portrait of Bishop Henchman (Vol. iii., p. 8.) .—Your correspondent Y.Y. is informed, that there is in the collection of the Earl of Clarendon, at the Grove, a full-length portrait of Bishop Henchman, by Sir Peter Lely. This picture, doubtless, belonged to the Chancellor Clarendon. Lord Clarendon, in his History of the Rebellion, b. xiii. (vol. vi. p. 540. ed. Oxford, 1826) , describes the share which Dr. Henchman, then a prebendary of Salisbury, had in facilitating the escape of Charles II., after the battle of Worcester. Dr. ”